Prominence Eruption

STEREO (Behind) watched as a sizeable, solar prominence broke away from the Sun over a brief 80-minute period (March 29, 2010). Observed in extreme UV light, the prominence becomes quite distinct when it is reaching out and above the visible edge of the Sun. Prominences are cooler clouds of gases tethered by magnetic forces. However, they are notoriously unstable and many burst into space as this one did. At its far edge, the eruptive prominence extends about 25 million miles beyond the Sun.